Wind direction indicator on rotating mast

[Tom Spohn]

How about a pivoting platform at the top of the mast with lines down to the spreaders to keep the platform oriented to the boat?

[mike]

A quick web search yielded this...

http://www.tecnautic.com/e-usd/wind_e02.htm

At around $1,150 (wind system + mast sensor), it's probably a lot more than MacGregor owners would want to spend on something that's not really essential.

I'm sure with all the engineers here, a cheaper solution can be developed!

Tom's idea sounds doable, and on further thought, my idea of clamping a mounting platform to the forestay would only work well if a pole was added to raise the transducer up to the top of the mast (if it were located at the forestay connection, it would be partially blanketed by the main, I think), probably making it not quite as practical as I first thought.

--Mike

[Frank C]

I purchased an ST60 "open box" wind instrument from West Marine. The advantage was price, disadvantage was I had only one week of return privileges, during which I had to install and test it. Mounting the wind tranducer on the bow pulpit was the expedient way to test it.

Frank C. How did you mount the transducer to the pulpit? Did it come with everything you needed for mounting? Do you have photos?

Sorry - no pix. For temporary testing of the unit I found that the factory mount could be wedged under a cleat. I was musing that a clamp-mount could be fabricated for the pulpit rail, but I agree that you'd lose too much functionality, with no valid readings for beam reach and lower sailing.

I'm not sure a mount could be fabricated for attaching with the upper shrouds. Since they aren't at masthead, the transducer would remain in the mast's or the mainsail's wind shadows for half of your sailing points. Besides that, how would you lead the cable? There must be a way to fashion a fixed masthead platform, or else you need to electronically index the 'ducer, on deck.

[u12fly]

I'll be getting an 26M, which has a rotating mast. Does anyone know of an electronic wind direction indicator that will work on a rotating mast? Wind speed shouldn't be a problem but it seems that for direction it would require an input from a sensor that measures the mast rotation in addition to the wind vane position. Or are there other suitable locations that could be used, such as a fixed position above the bow pulpit?

There is only one perfect solution, and that is the Wind Sailor RM-20 system, all the details are at: http://www.flyorsail.com
It was specifically designed for the 26M. Click through all the web pages, there are details on installation and data on competitive units as well.

Just to touch base on a few things, the only place to get accurate winds on all points of sail is to sense the wind above the mast. You must read the wind angle and the mast angle then subtract them to get the relative wind (AWA, Apparent Wind Angle & AWS, Apparent Wind Speed). The relative wind can be used with GPS to provide TWA, True Wind Angle & TWS,True Wind Speed. The mast angle can be read with a single angle measurement sensor attached between the mast & the boat, or with two heading sensors - one represents the heading of the boat while the other is the mast direction (heading). Only a few wind sensing instruments support a compensation port for this data.

The rotorvector sensor from Raymarine is really a cool idea, unfortunately it will not work on a sailboat. Sailboats heel as they surf the wind and waves, this angle negatively influences the offset rotor cuff design of the sensor and makes it very inaccurate. The rotovector sensor must always be within 10 degrees of level to be accurate. In addition, when we sailing down wind the relative wind speed can easily get below the cup rotation speed eliminating any useful bearing information. You need a wind vane that can rotate in just 1 mile an hour or 2 at the worst, to get useful bearing information on all points of sail.

[NiceAft]

WOW
Ten years, and this thread is still going.

Ray

[kadet]

It is Halloween, the dead thread shall rise again

[dbryceking]

What is everyone's thoughts on the AIRMAR 150WX http://www.marine-electronics-unlimited ... ation.html

Its an ultrasonic wind sensor with built in GPS, Baro, compass, and 3 axis gyro.

I too am looking for the ever elusive plug and play wind sensor. So if I put this ontop of the mast, would it automatically adjust when the mast rotates? It does have the GPS/compass in the unit so it knows which direction the boat is heading and the unit is pointing.

I just found the answer to my question. http://www.panbo.com/archives/2011/02/m ... ution.html

No it wont work by itself. Need to add more stuff.

[u12fly]

Tack Tick was acquired by Ray Marine...
Nexus was acquired by Garmin...

Tack Tick makes the Mast Rotation Sensor, Nexus makes the MRC (Mast Rotation sensor Compensation box) essentially these are both mag compass systems for the mast and require a boat heading compass to determine the correction factor.

Pegasus Aeronautics recently introduces a sensor system too, it's called the RM-10. It's a black box that send mast corrected wind data to your GPS/Chart Plotter. It uses a small angle measuring sensor that mounts inside the base of the mast. (after it is installed you can't even tell it is there, so it does not effect mast setup/tear down). It is by far the simplest solution. It was designed specifically for the MacGregor 26M (Tattoo 26).

[mastreb]

I like the Maretron WSO100. I have one on a 10' pole on the front pulpit of the 26M. Works great, looks a bit silly. If you step your mast, this is the best place to put it because it just folds down onto the deck without complicating trailering at all.

Allows me to use the autopilot in Windvane mode.

[BOAT]

Is there anyone on this site that is using the Wind Sailor RM-20 system? Do we have any feedback from folks we know here on site about the unit?

What will you guys give me if I'm the first sucker on the site to bite on that one and try it out? You guys want me to try it out and report back here? Or has anyone on the site already tried this thing out yet?
Anyone?

[grady]

Is there anyone on this site that is using the Wind Sailor RM-20 system? Do we have any feedback from folks we know here on site about the unit?

What will you guys give me if I'm the first sucker on the site to bite on that one and try it out? You guys want me to try it out and report back here? Or has anyone on the site already tried this thing out yet?
Anyone?

21,000 vnd

[BOAT]

Is there anyone on this site that is using the Wind Sailor RM-20 system? Do we have any feedback from folks we know here on site about the unit?

What will you guys give me if I'm the first sucker on the site to bite on that one and try it out? You guys want me to try it out and report back here? Or has anyone on the site already tried this thing out yet?
Anyone?

21,000 vnd

What the heck does that mean? What's a vnd?

[Rumdirty]

It's Russian for Wind. Just like Chekov used to say.

[tehtairing]

Boat: [Is there anyone on this site that is using the Wind Sailor RM-20 system? Do we have any feedback from folks we know here on site about the unit?]

Hi! I had installed the windsailor and it works great. able to sail upwind at nearly 20deg. I am 100% satisfy! Please check my mods on windsailor.

DREAM HORIZON

TEH, Tai Ring

[grady]

Is there anyone on this site that is using the Wind Sailor RM-20 system? Do we have any feedback from folks we know here on site about the unit?

What will you guys give me if I'm the first sucker on the site to bite on that one and try it out? You guys want me to try it out and report back here? Or has anyone on the site already tried this thing out yet?
Anyone?

21,000 vnd

What the heck does that mean? What's a vnd?

Vietnamese Dong